Kiyoshi Oze, aka Enno, the most hot-headed sumo wrestler, has been presented to us in a Netflix original Japanese sports comedy, Sanctuary. Kiyoshi Oze, a young lad from Fukoaka, won the Sumo Jonokuchi category and has joined Okayata Ensho’s stable to battle in the forthcoming tournaments. While Enno had impressive talent in wrestling, he wasn’t a big fan of consistent practice. His arrogant personality was another factor that was hurting his chances of success. However, over time and after a few tournament victories, Enno realized that only winning the tournaments wasn’t necessary, as he would also have to win the hearts of his spectators as well. Although Enno’s unusual and intimidating persona was entertaining to watch on television, the series aimed to show a shift in Enno’s behavior during his career as a wrestler, conveying the message that all it takes to be an ideal sportsperson is commitment and respect for the game.
Spoilers Ahead
Women In Enno’s Life
Growing up was difficult for Kiyoshi Oze. His childhood was spent watching his parents cook sushi in their own restaurant together, but not for long. The Ozes lost their restaurant to bankruptcy, which had a detrimental effect on their mental health. Oze’s mother was unable to cope with the loss and suffered a loss of confidence in herself as well as a sense of loathing. As a result, she turned to prostitution. Kiyoshi had immense respect for his father for not giving up on himself, but his mother’s self-demeaning choice became the reason for his hatred toward her. Seeing her mother devolve into a reckless woman, he grew up to be a little bit sexist. As we see, his comment on Kunishima’s physique was rude and inappropriate. On the other hand, Oze’s sweetheart, Nanami, became an attraction for him, not just for her calm and sweet attitude but also for her physical beauty, which suggests that Enno was merely infatuated with her rather than in love with her. However, when it was revealed that Nanami was the mistress of Murata, Enno was heartbroken.
An Arrogant Enno In The Dohyo
Enno was extremely arrogant in the sumo dohyo, even at a time when he was far from excellence. He used to be a stubborn guy who had little interest in practice during his early years in the Ensho stable. He just cared about money as he needed it to support his family, but he soon understood that only winning the tournaments would bring him the money he craved. He improved his Shiko technique and ultimately excelled in wrestling matches. But defeating opponents in the bouts one after the other gave him overconfidence and pride, in addition to money. At the time when Enno was on the verge of quitting the Ensho stable due to his repeated failures, his friend and admirer Shimizu once encouraged him to go back to the stable and to acquire the fundamental techniques, but Enno wasn’t even grateful later. Instead, he also displayed his disrespectful conduct toward Shimizu. He never showed any respect to Sumo, in addition to his fellow wrestlers. He never bowed down before the dohyo, and he never tied his topknot. He was only a renegade on the dohyo who rose to become the public’s most loathed sumo wrestler. Even death threats were made against him on social media, but the perpetrator was none other than a stablemate.
Transformation Of Enno’s Personality: Did Enno Win The Final Tournament With Shizuuchi?
A certain change in Enno’s attitude gradually took place. First, when he overcame Enya in a practice match, severely injuring his knee; second, when Shizuuchi inhumanly defeated him at a competition, beating him and tearing off his ear. After suffering the second injury to his knee, Enya made it clear that this injury was not on Enno. Enya was a dignified wrestler, as he had shown multiple times during the series, and this time, he also showed his sincerity, proving that failure is an inevitable reality in life. However, the fact that Enya summoned Enno specifically to the dohyo in the first place lends significant weight to Enno’s wrestling skills. Enya was set to face Shizuuchi, so he wanted someone who was as strong as Shizuuchi. That is when we learn that the sumo world has already begun to perceive Enno as a Shizuuchi in the making. But Shizuuchi was Shizuuchi, which he proved in the next tournament. Shizuuchi refused to compromise his match despite being intimidated by a reporter who tried to blackmail him into losing in return for keeping his dark, violent history hidden. In the tournament, Shizuuchi punched Enno so hard that his teeth broke and his ear was torn off. This specific scene was beautifully depicted on the screen when Enno was having delusions of victory while he had already been knocked down by Shizuuchi. Even after his recuperation, Enno’s horrible experience persisted in the back of his mind. He took a long sabbatical, and when he returned, he struggled to perform adequately. His rash judgments and impatience even led to his suspension from the stable for a short period of time. But, owing to Okami San, he returned to the stable. We see him as a completely different man after his comeback. He began to treat everyone in the stable with respect. His trauma gradually became embedded deep inside his chest and ceased manifesting symptoms, suggesting that Enno had dealt with it. He prioritized his Sumo over all else, determined to win the forthcoming match. However, the next tournament was arranged with his worst fear, Shizuuchi, all over again. But Enno was no longer terrified. He arrived on the dohyo for the first time, tying a topknot, expressing his appreciation for wrestling and its basics by resembling an actual sumo wrestler.
The conclusion of the series had Shizuuchi and Enno engaged in combat, although it was ambiguous who would prevail. Maybe it was Shizuuchi as expected because that man had never lost a bout in his life, or it was unexpectedly Enno who would emerge as an unbeatable wrestler. Even though the outcome of the fight was not revealed in the series, we already knew that Enno had won the war of his life, evolving into a better person with the purest sense of fair play.
